Is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker extinct? David Sibley thinks so. Roger Tory Peterson didn’t. I don’t, either. Typical me, going against the biggest, best field guide out there.
Facts:
-The Ivory-billed lives in old forests, with swampy undergrowth.
-The male looks very similar to a male Pileated, but it has more white on the back and wings.
-The female is the same but with a black crest.
-Both sexes weigh in at around 500 grams.
-It eats insects, fruit and nuts.
-Last confirmed report, supposedly in 2003, but there have been unconfirmed sightings since.
So what do you think is the answer? Cast your vote in the comments.
I cant choose but i sure hope it’s still alive!!
Hmm.. I don’t know.. I don’t really have an opinion. I think it’s possible they still might exist, but I don’t know. I sure hope that they are!
Hmm.. I don’t know.. I don’t really have an opinion. I think it’s possible they still might exist, but I don’t know. I sure hope that they are!
There’s a book called The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt and it deals with exactly this question – ivory-billed woodpecker and all! It’s a quick and easy read, and a good story (fiction, by the way). I highly recommend it.
I’m with you. There are places where these birds could exist far from destructive us.
I want to believe there are still some in the swamps of Nebraska, but then again they haven’t been seen in such a long time.
I agree with you! I love Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers!
Hm…hard to say. I think that, until it is ultimately confirmed extinct, it can still be assumed that it is around. Just because we humans can’t seem to find it doesn’t mean it isn’t out there somewhere.
I think it’s easier to confirm it as not extinct than extinct. 🙂 I would think you would have to wait a good number of years without any sightings or anything to confirm it extinct.